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Manipur violence: 2 children killed in bomb blast, two protesters shot dead in CRPF camp attack

Imphal, Apr 7 (PTI) Violence broke out in Manipur's Bishnupur district on Tuesday as two children were killed in a bomb attack on their home, while two others were shot dead when a mob stormed into a CRPF camp during a protest against the blast, police said. A group of people also torched two oil tankers and a truck, vandalised a police outpost and stopped the movement of vehicles on key roads to protest the bomb attack. Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh chaired an all-party meeting to review the prevailing situation in the state. It all started with suspected militants hurling a bomb at a house in Moirang Tronglaobi, killing a five-year-old boy and his six-month-old sister and injuring their mother, when all of them were sleeping, police said. Angered by the incident, around 400 people attacked a CRPF camp, prompting security forces to open fire, leaving two of them dead and about 20 others injured. The protesters were unhappy with the security forces for allegedly failing to take action against the militants. The chief minister condemned the bomb attack and said its investigation will be handed to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The siblings were killed and their mother was seriously injured around 1 am when the bomb was hurled by suspected militants at their house, a senior officer said. According to an official, the father of the deceased children was a central force personnel posted outside the side. Following the incident, locals staged a protest in the morning and torched two oil tankers and a truck near a petrol pump in the area. They burnt tyres in front of the Moirang police station and destroyed a makeshift police outpost. Protesters also stopped the movement of vehicles at Pangei and Khurai in Imphal East district and Langthabal in Imphal West, and burnt tyres in the middle of the roads. Security forces have been deployed in the area to control the situation, the officer said. The chief minister termed the attack as a "barbaric act" and "an outright assault on humanity and a direct attempt to derail the hard-earned peace in Manipur". "I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. Let there be no doubt, those responsible will be identified, hunted down and dealt with firmly under the law. Such acts of terror will not be tolerated under any circumstances," he said. The CM visited a private hospital in Imphal, where the injured mother of the two deceased was being treated. Low-lying Moirang Tronglaobi is located close to hill areas of Churachandpur and witnessed consistent gun firing during the ethnic conflict between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups in 2023 and 2024. An explosive device was also recovered in a nearby area of Tronglaobi on Tuesday, another senior officer said. Later in the day, a mob stormed a CRPF camp at Gelmol in the district, burnt vehicles and vandalised portions of the camp, leading to firing by security personnel, which claimed the lives of two persons. Briefing reporters soon after the incident, Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam initially claimed that two persons were killed and five others injured in the firing. "I had urged the protesters not to enter the CRPF camp and to allow security forces to focus on conducting an operation to apprehend those involved in the bomb attack," the minister said. But the demonstrators did not pay heed to the appeal. "They stormed the CRPF camp, burnt vehicles and vandalised portions of the camp, leading to firing by security personnel. They fired either in self-defence or in anger. Two persons, unfortunately, died in the firing, while five others sustained bullet injuries," the state home minister said. Late in the evening, Manipur Police said in an X post that 20 people were injured in the incident. Addressing a press conference, CM Singh said the state government has decided to hand over the probe into the bomb attack to the NIA. He said that the decision was taken after detailed discussions with the state home minister and other MLAs. The chief minister said that the perpetrators are yet to be identified at this stage and that a massive combing operation was currently underway. "Security forces, including police, Assam Rifles and CRPF, have been deployed. Helicopters are also being used. The culprits will be caught at the earliest," he said. Appealing to the public, the CM urged people to remain calm and not give in to emotions. He asked citizens to cooperate with the ongoing operations and support efforts to restore normalcy. Singh also chaired an all-party meeting at the Chief Minister's Secretariat to review the prevailing situation. The meeting discussed at length the Tronglaobi incident, a CMO release said. The representatives of the political parties expressed deep concern over the recent law and order situation and emphasised the need to maintain peace, unity, and communal harmony. At least 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in the ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and hills-based Kuki-Zo groups in Manipur since May 2023. The state has been under President's Rule for nearly a year since February 2025. PTI CORR MNB BDC NN NN

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